In the Hands of a Real Hero'
by A. Amishi
Summary: A freak accident causes Kasuki and Shinji to switch universes. Now Kasuki must battle angels, jealous classmates, and suspicious colleagues all while struggling to find a way back home. Re-work of the story I recently took down.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is the property of Gainex and Dual: Parallel Troubled Adventure is the property of Pioneer. I am just a humble ff writer trying to bring a little joy into the lives of others and myself.

Author's Notes: Well, it has been nearly three years since I've updated this story. After re-reading it myself, I decided to do a re-write. I tried to take some of the waff out and add some additional character development as well as restructure the story so each chapter is about the same length. I hope you like the results. I'd like to extend a word of thanks to Sanji Himura for beta-reading this chapter for me. Thanks Sanji. ^__^

After reading this chapter, if you enjoyed what you read, please take a moment of your time to let me know, and even if you didn't enjoy it, please let me know why. Thank you and now I present, "In the Hands of a Real Hero'"

An Evangelion/Dual crossover

In the Hands of a Real Hero'

Description: This story takes place nine months after the end of episode 14 of Dual. Zinv is being readied for space travel. Kazuki Yotsuga is the only one capable of piloting the extraordinary mecha. Professors Sanada and Rara head the project under U.N. supervision. Mitsuki Sanada is following in her father's footsteps as his assistant while Kazuki and Mitsuki Rara share a growing relationship that started six months earlier.

In an alternate universe, the headquarters of NERV in Tokyo 3 are a buzz of excitement and grave anticipation. Rumors run rampant that the Dead Sea Scrolls predict the eminent arrival of the third angel. In anticipation of this event, the commander of NERV has summoned his son, Shinji Ikari to Tokyo 3.

Chapter One: Laying the Ground Work

Story begins in the Dual universe.

In the Zinv simulator at the launch center in the southern end of Saitama Prefecture north of Tokyo

"I am securing the first solar panel to the main housing now." Kazuki relayed to the control center. From his vantage point inside the simulator, it appeared as if he was slowly maneuvering the large panel array into position and using a giant specialized drill to secure the first one in place.

"The first panel is secure." Kazuki holstered the drill. "I am moving on to the next panel." He added as he moved weightlessly into position in front of the second panel.

"Make sure your umbilical cord is a safe distance from the panels," instructed Commander Sanada.

As if on queue, Zinv's lifeline connecting him to the shuttle, that also provided power for the drill, struck the array sending the chain of 10 panels twisting away from the station. The force exerted on the bolt that Kazuki had just secured was too great for it to handle and it snapped sending the entire structure sailing away. Kazuki desperately tried to grab it but only managed to lose his equilibrium and went drifting off, spinning head over heals.

A frustrated young female voice commanded, "End simulation! End it now!"

The monitors within the simulation pod went black as the rear floodlights came on and the hatch opened, revealing a frustrated and sweaty pilot with his elbows on his knees and his head hung low.

"Nice going, _Second_ _Lieutenant_ Yotsuga-san, you just managed to lose over five hundred billion yen of equipment to the vacuum of space."

"Can it, Mitsuki." The young seventeen-year old pilot snapped back without looking up at her.

"Don't act so familiar. That's First Lieutenant Sanada-san to you," retorted Mitsuki.

Kazuki slowly lifted his head and glared at her for a moment, then went on. "You know as well as I, _First Lieutenant _Sanada-_san_, this simulation was for work that won't be done on the space station for at least a year still."

"That may be true, Kazuki-kun, but that error was still a basic one. You need to keep closer track of your umbilical cord." Commander Sanada informed him.

"Yes sir." Kazuki looked off to the side for a moment, trying to regain his composure. With his emotions in check, he finally asked, "are we done for today?"

"Yes, Kazuki-kun, I think twelve hours in the simulator is enough for one day," declared Commander Rara.

The pilot gave a nod and exited the pod, making his way to the lockers.

"Don't you two think you're being a little hard on the lad?" Rara asked looking from Ken Sanada then to his co-commander's daughter.

"We need to be hard on him," Mitsuki replied, "once he's in space, there won't be any room for errors like this one. And we won't be able to just stop like with the simulator and start over again."

"Mitsuki's right, but he has been working awfully hard these past six weeks. Perhaps a little time off before the launch on Saturday would help him clear his mind and allow him to refocus," Sanada suggested.

"I agree. We don't want him burning out just before the launch," Rara concurred.

"I'll let him know," Mitsuki said as she set her clipboard down and headed out of the simulation center.

Looking after his friend's daughter as she left the area, Rara commented, "She really turned out to be a chip off the old block, hey Sanada. You must be very proud." The shorter, round commander smiled.

"Yes, she's everything a proud father could want in a daughter." Sanada smiled then remembered Rara's daughter and her decision not to get involved in the program. "Well, what I meant is… You see…" The commander started to turn red faced.

"That's alright old friend. I'm very proud of my Mitsuki too. She's beautiful, intelligent, a great cook and engaged to the most eligible bachelor on the planet. What more could an old-fashioned man want for his daughter." He smiled.

They both stood there for a moment, smiling and counting their many blessings since the fusion of the two worlds before Captain Schwael approached them and cleared her throat.

"Commanders, shall we go over the flight plan again?" She held up the 1200-page document that covered every detail of the 90-minute flight that was to take place in just three days.

Clearing their throats in embarrassment, they nodded and agreed in unison, each grabbing their own copy of the document and headed for the command center.

As Kazuki approached the men's locker room, he spied his fiancée in the distance. Seeing her brightened his spirits instantly and he quickened his pace, eventually breaking into a light jog. As he came close, he extended his arms and engulfed her in an embrace, but it only lasted a second.

"Ewww! You're all sweaty." Mitsuki backed away.

"Well, that'll happen after twelve hours in the simulator." He chuckled and scratched that back of his head, "but I missed you." Kazuki's expression became very serious and he tried to take her into his arms once again.

This time she raised her hands to his chest to stop his advance. "How about a kiss now and a hug after you've showered and changed?" She smiled sweetly at him.

"Oooh, alright," he said with fake disappointment. He leaned in so they could share a simple light kiss.

"Are you done for today?" She took another step back and lowered her hands.

He nodded. "Yeah, but two more days of this and they'll be sending a corpse up into space on Saturday."

"Don't say that. Not even joking," Mitsuki raised her hand to her mouth.

"I don't know why the commanders are pressing so hard. I've run through the flight plan over a hundred times already without as much as a hiccup and now they have me performing simulations on stuff I won't be doing for almost a year. I don't get it. It's almost like they're just trying to find things to keep me busy." An exasperated Kazuki sighed.

With genuine concern etched on her face, Mitsuki replied, "would you like me to speak to my father? Perhaps I can persuade him to lighten your load."

"Not likely," came a firm female voice from down the hall. They both turned to see Mitsuki Sanada approaching.

"Hello, Mitsuki-sama," Miss Rara said bowing respectfully.

"Hi, Mitsuki-san," Miss Sanada responded flatly.

"Now what do you want?" The young pilot snapped. "If you've come to drag me back into the simulator, you can forget about it. I'm through for the day. You can find someone else to bark your commands at."

"Kazuki-kun" Mitsuki Rara gasped.

Placing her hands on her hips and scowling at her subordinate, Mitsuki Sanada replied, "I didn't come to BARK commands at you. I…"

"So you just came to let me know what an awful job I did on the simulator today. Well, save it. I've got the flight plan down pat. I could go through it in my sleep, so keep your criticisms to yourself." He shot back.

His fiancée placed a hand on his arm which he quickly shook off, causing her to take a step away from him in fright. Mitsuki Sanada narrowed her lips and glared at him. She took several deep breaths to try and calm her rage. "I didn't come to criticize or command. I came to tell you, you've got tomorrow off. Not that you deserve it, you arrogant little shit." With that she spun around and marched back to the command center.

Kazuki gaped and his eyes went wide. "Mitsuki, wait!" He called after her, but she gave no response. Hanging his head in shame and disgust over his behavior, he whispered, "Damn."

"Kazuki-kun, what came over you? You've never spoken to Mitsuki-sama like that." His fiancée hesitated a moment before placing a worried hand upon his shoulder.

Turning toward her with eyes filled with sadness, he shook his head. "I don't know. I don't know why I did that." Seeing her expression, he added, "I'm sorry I scared you."

She smiled back at him. "It's okay."

Looking down the hall once again, he reasoned. "I'll have to apologize to her the next time I see her." He turned back to his fiancée and smiled. "Well, one good thing. We've got tomorrow and the next two nights together."

Mitsuki smiled and walked up to Kazuki, placing her arms around his sweaty neck and kissing him passionately. "Yes, we do, but before anything else, you need to find Mitsuki-sama and apologize. We won't be able to really enjoy ourselves with this hanging over your head. Okay?"

He frowned for a second before his smile returned. "You always know the right thing to do." He nodded. "Meet me at the car? I'll be out in a few minutes after I shower and change. But I'll find Mitsuki-san first." He added to halt her expected protest.

She smiled and nodded, kissing him once more before heading for the exit.

Watching her as she walked down the hall till she turned the corner, Kazuki couldn't help but to be thankful he had someone so loving and understanding in his life. _As opposed to someone who is demanding and overly critical._ Sighing once again, he turned around and made his way towards the command center.

Leaning against the wall just outside the command center, Mitsuki Sanada stared at the floor with her arms folder over her chest. Murmuring to herself, she considered the pilot's words. "Am I really that demanding? Am I really that critical?" She closed her eyes as her inner-self provided her with an answer she preferred not to hear.

Suddenly, the words, "yes, you are," reached her ears. Mitsuki opened her eyes slowly and stared questioningly at the floor. "Okay, did I just answer myself out loud or am I hearing voices now? And since when was my inner voice a boy's voice?"

"Since now and I'd say probably the latter," Kazuki said with a smirk, now standing just a few steps from her.

Mitsuki gasped with surprise, and then glared at him once again. Turning towards the door, she spoke coldly, "I'm busy now, Second Lieutenant. I don't have time for idle chit chat."

"Mitsuki-san, wait." He reached out and touched her shoulder. "Please, give me just a minute."

Turning around to face him, she folded her arms over her chest again and gave him a blank stare.

"Mitsuki-san, yes you can be demanding and critical but you know what? Those are actually good qualities for someone in your position. You need to be demanding to get the best out of all of us, me especially, and you need to be critical because of what we're about to do."

Struggling not to smile, Mitsuki replied, "you know, you're not telling me anything I don't already know."

Nodding his understanding, he went on. "I just wanted to let you know, that I know this too; even if I forget sometimes… like I did earlier. I'm sorry for jumping down your throat like that. It was uncalled for. I really do appreciate all you bring to this program, even if I don't always show it."

"Well… you better get out of here now before I change my mind about that day off." She smirked.

Kazuki straightened to attention and saluted. "Yes Ma'am."

When she returned his salute, he spun around and made a hasty retreat back to the locker rooms.

Staring after him for a moment longer, Mitsuki couldn't help but wonder what might have been had she not hesitated so long and allowed Mitsuki Rara to make the first move. But then she reasoned; _its better this way. I couldn't date him and be his commander. I couldn't handle that pressure._ Shaking the thought from her mind, she turned and entered the command center.

10pm on the road from the launch site to their apartment

Kazuki admired the view as he stared at his fiancée intently from the passenger seat. Every now and then she would glance over at him and see him smiling at her, his eyes never coming off her.

Grinning self-consciously as she drove, she began to blush. "What?"

"What?" Kazuki asked back innocently.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" she clarified.

"Because you're so beautiful, and I just can't take my eyes off you," he answered.

"You're so sweet." She giggled lightly and stole another glance at him. "But please stop, you're making me nervous."

"Am I?" he asked wickedly as he leaned closer to her.

Feeling his breath on her cheek and her hair sent a shiver up her spine. "Please Kazuki-kun, I'm driving."

He leaned in just a little more to give her a quick kiss on the cheek and then sat back straight. "Okay, no more teasing." He smiled.

Taking a minute to regain her composure, she asked him, "so what would you like to eat?"

"Just something light, some ramen maybe, I'm too tired for a full meal," he answered as he looked at the countryside pass by.

"Okay."

They continued in silence for a while. Mitsuki knew that although she was the daughter of the commander of the space program, her decision not to be an official part of the program meant she was limited to what information she could be told about it. This limited what Kazuki could say about the work he did. For his part, Kazuki was simply too tired to try and strike up a conversation.

Finally, Mitsuki thought of something that had been a small problem a few weeks ago for him. "So have you had any problems with security recently?"

Turning towards her, he replied, "No. It was just that one time. All the other guards already know me; it was just that new guy." He took a deep breath. "I still can't believe he thought I was some kid trying to pass off a fake ID to get into the facility."

"Well, you do look young for your age," she retorted.

"Not that young."

"I don't know about that. Remember when we were in the grocery story last week, when I left you down the snack aisle so I could get my tampons."

Kazuki nodded, blushing brightly at the mention of the feminine product.

This did not escape Mitsuki's attention and now she had an opportunity to return some of his earlier teasing. "Oh, Kazuki, are you getting a fever?" She reached out with her hand and pressed it against his forehead. "You're all red. Maybe I should take you to the doctor." She struggled to keep a straight face.

Kazuki to her hand into his hands and kissed it. "No, I don't have a fever." Then he returned her hand to the steering wheel. "And remember, you're driving."

Mitsuki gave a soft giggle, then went on with her story. "Well, on the way back, I had a middle-aged woman verbally assault me and threaten to call the police on me for dating a fourteen year old boy," she told him.

"WHAT! No way. I may look young, but I don't look fourteen. That lady must have been blind." He insisted.

"Maybe, but she refused to believe you were any older than fifteen."

"What did you do?"

"I just walked away from her."

"Why didn't you tell me?" A faint frown crossed his face.

"You had a pretty rough day that day and I didn't want to bother you with the rantings of some strange woman."

He reached over and caressed the back of her arm. "You're always looking out for me, always taking care of me."

"It's what I love to do." She smiled.

At their apartment, they ate a simple meal together then got ready for bed. Normally they stayed at Commander Sanada's home, in separate rooms but with the launch quickly approaching, and his heavy workload, Kazuki decided to get an apartment closer to the base. He made sure to get a two-bedroom apartment so Mitsuki could move in with him, with her parent's approval. And while they each had their own room, Mitsuki's constant sleepwalking convinced him that the best thing for her was for her to share his bed. And it worked because her sleepwalking stopped. Though they knew it would not look good if anyone were ever to enter uninvited in the middle of the night, but they had an unspoken agreement to wait until their wedding night in seven months to consummate their relationship, so they felt no guilt sleeping together.

Kazuki lay on his back in a fresh pair of pajamas staring up at the ceiling. He wanted to stay up till Mitsuki came to bed. They hardly spoke at all that day. He had left for the base before she woke up that morning and the few words they exchanged at the base and during the drive home could hardly count as a real conversation. They spoke briefly during dinner but since they only had ramen, the conversation was over much too soon for his taste. Normally, they would stay up and watch the news together and discuss matters of interested that came up. _I haven't had a chance to ask her how her day was, _he mused. He turned his attention to the bathroom where his fiancée was taking a shower. The sound of the running water was very soothing, a little too soothing. Slowly his eyelids took longer to open after each blink, until eventually they closed and did not reopen.

Ten minutes later, Mitsuki came out of the bathroom in her nightgown, brushing her hair. "So what would you like to do tomorrow, Kazuki, since you don't have to go to the base?" she asked as she headed over to the mirrored dresser to make sure she got all the tangles out of her hair.

After a minute, she realized her fiancé had not reply. She turned and saw him sleeping peacefully, his right hand tucked under his head and his left arm stretched out to the side. She smiled at him and blinked away tears that threatened to escape her eyes.

"You work so very hard, always giving your very best. I'm so proud of you. I'm so happy you think I'm worthy of your love." She closed her eyes and sighed then set the brush on the dresser, turned off the light and got in bed. She scooted up next to Kazuki's side and rested her head on his chest. "I love you, Kazuki Yotsuga. I always will." She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

The next day started lazily enough. Since he did not bother to set his alarm clock, they both slept in until nine. While Kazuki showered and dressed, Mitsuki made breakfast. During breakfast she asked what he would like to do for the day. After taking a minute to think about it, he suggested they go on a picnic. He commented on how beautiful the countryside looked as they drove between the apartment and the base but they never had the time to really enjoy it. She agreed and started making a picnic lunch. Meanwhile, Kazuki watched the news to get caught up on current events.

Recent electro-magnetic disturbances had been reported in and around the town of Hakone in the Kanagawa Prefecture. The last Kazuki heard, the cause for the disturbances was still unknown and though Hakone was no where need the base, delaying the launch was seriously considered. In the end, it was decided that there should be no problems and the launch remained on schedule.

After preparing a picnic basket and gathering up a few other things for their day in the country, Mitsuki came into the TV room and sat down next to Kazuki, resting her head on his shoulder. "Is there anything new about the disturbances?"

"No, apparently they've stopped. They said there hasn't been one in over six days," he responded.

"Well, that's good. I know the commanders don't think there's a problem with it but I just feel better knowing there isn't some strange unexplained anomaly happening right before the launch." She looked up at him and offered Kazuki her lips, which he met with his own without hesitation. "Are you ready to go?"

"Mmm" He nodded and turned the TV off. Helping her off the sofa, the young couple made their way past the kitchen to pick up the basket and went out the door.

NERV Headquarters, Tokyo3

In the control room of the testing lab, Dr. Ritsuko Akagi looked over Maya Ibuki's shoulder and allowed a small hint of a smile to cross her face for just a moment.

"Very good, Rei. That is enough for today." She told Unit 00's pilot over the communication system.

"Yes, Doctor." The soft whispery voice of the pilot came back over the comm. system.

"When will we be able to fully activate Unit 00, Doctor?" The tall dark haired man in sunglasses asked while staring out the observation window at the unit in question.

"We still need to go over all the data but assuming all indications are green, final activation should be able to commence in seven days," she replied.

"Good." He turned and started heading for the exit, stopping briefly to add. "Inform me if you find any anomalous results."

"Yes, Commander." She watched him and the sub-commander leave the facility, then turning her attention back to the job at hand. "Has the pilot been ejected yet?"

Shigeru Aoba checked and double checked his readings. "Ejection procedures are currently in progress."

"Excellent. Maya, archive the test data as soon as possible. I want to begin analysis this afternoon."

"Yes ma'am," Maya quickly got to work on it.

Akagi turned to leave the facility, stopping long enough to say, "by the way, good work everyone."

"Thank you, doctor," the three technicians said in unison.

"Seven days, won't that be cutting it close?" Kouzou Fuyutsuki asked as he and his former student walked down the corridor of NERV Headquarters heading for Terminal Dogma.

"Not at all. Seven days provides us with more than enough time to prepare for the arrival of the third angel," replied Commander Gendo Ikari.

But what if the date of its arrival is wrong? Or what if Rei fails to fully synchronize with her eva?" The sub-commander queried, playing the devil's advocate.

"The dates are correct. The Dead Sea Scrolls are never wrong. As for Rei failing to synchronize with Unit Zero; contingencies for that event are already in place." Ikari assured him.

"What sort of contingencies?" Fuyutsuki raised a questioning brow.

To this, the commander remained silent.

After a few short moments, awareness flashed in the older gentleman's eyes. "You don't mean, the Third Child?"

Ikari only allowed the faintest hint of a grin to cross his face for just a second, and then it was gone.


	2. Chapter 2: Two Worlds

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Author's Notes: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. As it turned out, it still wound up shorter than the subsequent chapters but not nearly as short as it use to be. I'm sure one of the changes you must have notice is the use Japanese honorifics. I decided to include them because they help establish the nature of relationships. For example, the way Mitsuki Rara calls Mitsuki Sanada, Mitsuki-sama but M. Sanada calls M. Rara, Mitsuki-san. And how Kazuki uses the overly familiar Mitsuki, without the honorific when addressing M. Sanada and gets scolded for it. Hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

.

Chapter Two: Two Worlds

At Kazuki's apartment

---

Mitsuki Rara unlocked the door to their apartment and pushed it open with her hip. In one hand she held the nearly empty picnic basket with only a few dishes and two bottles of raw milk in it, and in the other hand she held the blanket they used during lunch. She kept the door open while her fiancé made his way through with a large basket of assorted fruits and vegetables.

Struggling for air, Kazuki asked, "Where do you want this?"

"The kitchen please," she replied.

Sighing audibly, he started to make his way to the kitchen.

"Shoes!" Mitsuki lifted her hand to her mouth and in the process concealed her face with the blanket. Slowly, she lowered her hand, exposing her flushed expression.

Kazuki would have laughed if his arms weren't burning so much. Instead, he sighed and awkwardly kicked off one shoe. Stepping up from the foyer, he started working the other shoe off when he lost his balance and started falling back. Mitsuki yelped and dropped the blanket just in time to support Kazuki from behind.

"Ah, thanks." Kazuki regained his balance and quickly kicked off his other shoe, then made his way to the kitchen.

Mitsuki smiled as she slipped her shoes off then pushed the door closed with her backside. Bending over, she picked up the blanket and suddenly felt a twinge in her wrist. She looked at her hand and flexed it a few time, rotated her wrist around. She felt something, not exactly pain, but something. "Probably twisted it," she whispered to herself.

"Did you say something?" Kazuki called from the kitchen.

Mitsuki looked up. "No, nothing." She quickly picked up the blanket and dropped it off in the closet before bringing the picnic basket to the kitchen.

"Man, vegetables are heavier than you'd think." Kazuki started pulling items out of the basket.

"What, after all the training you've been through, you mean to tell me that carrying one basket of vegetables is enough to wear you out?" she asked suspiciously.

"I think I'm cramping up." He flexed his arms, letting out a fake groan each time.

"Oh, and here I thought I was marrying a real man." Mitsuki teased.

Kazuki frowned for a moment, and then replied, "You are marrying a real man, just not a really strong man." He flexed his arm while squeezing his bicep with his other hand. "But I dare anyone to try and challenge me and Zinv when we're together."

Mitsuki tried to stifle a snicker. "Here, let me kiss it and make it feel better." Mitsuki ran her hands over his arms and pressed her lips to his lips.

A minute later as they drew apart, Kazuki asked, "Aren't you supposed to kiss the part that hurts in order to make it feel better?"

"Do your arms still hurt?" Mitsuki asked.

He thought for a moment and grinned. "You're right. It's a miracle." He leaned in to kiss her again, wrapping his arms around her and drawing her close until her body was pressed up next to his.

After another minute, Mitsuki reluctantly broke the kiss. "Why don't you go take a shower and I'll get dinner started."

Kazuki sighed sadly and leaned in to kiss Mitsuki on the neck. She moaned and her eyes fluttered close. "Mmm… K-Kazuki, please… don't." But her fiancé ignored her plea and continued caressing her neck with his lips. The pleasure was too much to resist and Mitsuki surrendered to it, pulling Kazuki towards the front of her neck while running her fingers through his hair. Just then, a sharp twinge shot through her hand and she pulled away from him. "Please, go take a shower."

Kazuki wondered if she really knew what she was telling him to do. Giving up on trying to read Mitsuki's mind, he grudgingly nodded and gave her one last kiss on the nose, then he retreated to his bedroom to get some clean cloths. "Are you sure you don't want my help." He hoped she would say yes, and allow him to flirt with her some more.

"No, I'm fine, take your shower," she replied, taking several deep breaths in an effort to regain her composure as she stared at her hand. _Thank goodness for small accidents._

_.  
_

"I can't believe how much food all those farmers gave us." Kazuki put another leek in his mouth. "Mmm, farm fresh is so much better tasting than store bought."

"Mmm," Mitsuki nodded in agreement as she finished her serving of peapod, leek and carrot stir fry with ginger sauce over rice noodles.

"And I can't believe they wouldn't allow us to pay for any of it. They were way too generous."

"Well, you better get accustom to it. After Saturday, you'll not only be a regional hero but a national hero too, international hero probably." She served him a second helping.

"You think so?" He shoveled a large helping of the stir fry into his mouth.

Nodding to the affirmative, she went on. "After Saturday, you'll never have to worry about where your next meal will come from. People will be lining up to buy you lunch and dinner. Well, at least people away from the base, that is." She giggled.

"Well, that may be so but no meal can ever compare to the ones you make for me, Mitsuki-chan." He smiled.

"Oh, Kazuki-kun." She blushed and turned away.

His smile grew seeing her turn red with embarrassment. _I love how a simple compliment like that still makes you blush. You're so adorable, Mitsuki-chan._

"Are you finished? Would you like some more?" she asked.

"Ah…" He looked down at his empty plate and bowl. "Ah, no, thirds are my limit, thanks."

"Okay." Smiled Mitsuki, then she stood up and gathered up the dishes. "Why don't you watch some TV while I take care of the dishes? I'll be there in just a minute."

"All right." Her fiancé got up and walked over to her. "By the way, thanks for dinner." He kissed her on the cheek. "It was delicious." He smiled at her.

"Oh, silly." She blushed again and kissed him back on the cheek. "Go on, I'll join you in a little bit.

.

.

After watching a forgettable movie, they turned the channel to catch the local news. Halfway into the program the anchor started the People and Places segment.

"And with only two days before the historic launch of the giant mecha, Zinv, it appears its pilot was getting a little R and R." The screen changed to show two young people following a farmer around his field.

"It appears Lieutenant Kazuki Yotsuga-san, the pilot of Zinv, and his lovely fiancée, Mitsuki Rara-san, were taking in the sights of the Saitama countryside. Here our camera caught them getting a tour of a local cucumber farm."

The two people in question sat up and stared at the TV intently. "That's us!" Kazuki yelped.

"Oh my goodness." Mitsuki placed her hand over her mouth.

"And here at this pear farm we can see them trying to pay the farmer for a bag full of pears. Our reporter on the spot, Yurika Misumaru-san spoke to the farmer afterwards."

"Seiya Uribatake-san, what was the young couple like?" The reporter held the microphone in front of the farmer's face.

"Oh please, call me Seiya. The young couple, very nice, very good people. For a hero, Kazuki-kun, that's what he told me to call him. Kazuki-kun was very humble and polite. And Mitsuki-chan, she insisted I call her that." The old man smiled. "Mitsuki-chan was so proper and sweet, a real lady. So refreshing to see these days."

"And did they pay for the items you gave them?"

"No, oh no, of course not. They were a gift. He tried to pay but I wouldn't hear of it. They were a gift. It is the least I could do for such a brave young man. And I told them they were welcomed to return to my farm anytime and have all the pears they want." He nodded. "Would you like a pear?" He held one out for the young woman.

"No, thank you though." Turning towards the camera, she continued. "From Seiya Uribatake-san's pear farm in south Saitama Prefecture, this is Yurika Misumaru reporting."

"I can't believe it. We were followed by reports." Kazuki scratched the back of his head. "Thank goodness I didn't take a leak behind that tree while I was out there."

Mitsuki chuckled as her cheeks turned a gentle shade of pink. "Well, I guess that's the price of fame."

Then the anchor continued his report. "As you all know, Kazuki Yotsuga-san is the seventeen year old boy who is the only person capable of piloting Zinv."

His co-anchor added, "And a remarkable young man, he is. In the past nine months, he completed both his junior and senior year of high school AND passed the entrance exams for Tokyo University. He starts there as a freshman in the fall, after his third scheduled space mission with Zinv."

"A space pilot and a Tokyo U student, truly a remarkable young man, indeed. And he hardly looks old enough to even be in high school, let alone college."

Mitsuki looked over at her fiancé proudly as it was his turn to blush in embarrassment.

Then the co-anchor added, "It seems the only place he's gone wrong is his choice in women."

Mitsuki gasped.

"What!" Kazuki jumped to his feet.

"What do you mean Erina-san? Rara-san is a perfectly lovely young woman. By all accounts, she is any man's ideal choice for a bride." The anchor countered.

"But she's his cousin Nagare-san and is almost five years older than him," the co-anchor replied. "You'd think she'd have more self-respect."

Rolling his eyes at Erina, the chief anchor continued, "Well, I for one think they make a lovely couple. And we here at Channel 12 News wish Lieutenant Yotsuga-san good luck on his maiden launch this Saturday. And on a personal note, I wish Kazuki Yotsuga-san and Mitsuki Rara-san all the happiness in the world together."

"Now in sports…"

Mitsuki picked up the remote and turned the TV off.

"Why that unbelievable bi-"

"Kazuki!"

"Sorry." He dropped back down on the sofa next to her. It took a moment for his adrenalin to work its way out of his system. When it did, he sat back and turned to her. "I'm sorry you had to hear that,"

"It's all right. It's not the first time I've heard it. I just wasn't expecting to hear it on the nightly news is all." She gave him a weak smile.

"Does it bother you?"

"What, that they say we're cousins so we shouldn't marry, or that they say I'm too old for you?"

He thought for a minute then replied, "Both, either."

"Not really." Her gentle smile was genuine this time. "You and I know we're not really related. So what others may think doesn't bother me. And as for being too old for you, well, do you think I'm too old for you?" she asked.

He looked deeply into her soft brown eyes and studied her perfectly flawless face, then answered, "No, not at all."

"I feel the same way. My heart went out to you the first time I ever saw you and I've grown to love you more and more every day since. I can't imagine ever loving anyone else, Kazuki-kun. I don't care what people may say. I love you and that's all that matters to me." She rested her cheek on his chest and breathed in his clean sweet scent.

"I feel the same way, Mitsuki-chan. I don't care what other people may think or say. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

After a few minutes, the young pilot realized his shirt was quite wet and sticking to his chest.

"Mitsuki-chan, are you crying?"

She just nodded her head without looking up.

"What's wrong?"

After a few silent moments, she finally looked up at him. "It's nothing Kazuki-kun, really. I'm just being silly."

"No, tell me, please." He insisted as he tenderly caressed her cheek.

"It's just that, it's finally hit me. You're really going into space on Saturday."

"Yeeaaaahhh." He smiled.

"I know you've been working towards this for nine months now, but for the first time it's really hit me. This is real. You're actually going into space. So many things could go wrong."

"Mitsuki-chan, don't worry. I'll be in Zinv. Nothing will go wrong. He won't let anything bad happen to me." Kazuki ran his fingers through her hair.

"But I can't escape this feeling that maybe; just maybe, I'll never see you again after Saturday."

"That's not going to happen. I promise you." Kazuki tilted her head back slightly and stared into her eyes. "I promise."

She gave a faint nod and pressed her cheek against his chest, wrapping her arms around him tightly, as if holding on for dear life.

They remained in a silent embrace for several minutes till finally Mitsuki looked up and with a serious expression on her face. "Make love to me."

Kazuki's eyes went wide for a moment, and he was about to ask her if she was serious, but looking into her shimmering brown eyes, he know she was completely serious. Fear filled his brain for an instant. _Can I do this? What if I'm awful at it? What if I hurt her? Do I have any condoms? What if I don't live up to her expectations?_ But seeing the look on her face chased away all his fears. Slowly, he gently moved her aside and stood up, and as usual, she reached out her hand to him to help her off the sofa, but instead he bent over and picked her up in his arms.

Mitsuki let out a soft gasp. For a brief moment they simply stared at each other, then she rested her head on his shoulder and whispered, "I love you, Kazuki-kun."

"I love you more, Mitsuki-chan." her fiancé carrying her to the bedroom.

.

.

DATE: June 10th, 2015

Location: Test Center, NERV Headquarters, Geofront under Tokyo3

---

"All preliminary tests on Unit Zero show green across the board, ma'am," a junior tech informed Doctor Akagi.

"Is Rei ready to enter the entry plug?" The doctor crossed her arms beneath her chest.

Maya's fingers few over her control panel. "She is still in the locker room, her E.T.A is three minutes, 22 seconds."

"Prepare the entry plug for the pilot."

At that moment Commander Gendo Ikari entered the control room. "What is the delay?"

"We are still waiting for the pilot," Ritsuko answered aloud. _As if you didn't already know._

.

.

DATE: July 1st, 2001

Location: Launch Center in the southern end of Saitama Prefecture north of Tokyo

---

"Okay Kazuki-kun, this is the final run-through, let's do it right and call it a day," Captain Yayoi Schwael said from her post at the launch control center. Behind her on the other side of the observation window stood Commanders Sanada and Rara as well as First Lieutenant Mitsuki Sanada, each watching intently.

"Yes, Captain-san," Kazuki replied from the cockpit within Zinv. "Activating Zinv, in 3, 2, 1, now." And the eyes of the giant mecha lit up as a low roar came from it.

.

.

DATE: June 11th, 2015

Location: At the rail station, just inside Tokyo3

---

"Today at 12:30, a state of special emergency has been declared within the Kanto and Chubu districts, around the Tokai district. Please take refuge in the designated shelters." The announcement came over the public radio emergency broadcast.

Shinji Ikari looked around the train platform and saw no one else there. All destination panels at the station showed, 'All lines are out of service'. "Mmm, guess I'll have to walk the rest of the way." He picked up his bag and made his way into the city.

Captain Misato Katsuragi raced down the deserted streets of Tokyo3. "Why, of all times, have I missed him now?! What am I going to do?"

.

.

Location: Launch Center in the southern end of Saitama Prefecture north of Tokyo

---

"Countdown, T-minus 200 seconds and counting." A mechanical voice echoed.

"Has it started?"

Looking over to see who was asking, Mitsuki Sanada's eyes grew large with surprise. "Mitsuki-san? Why are you here? This is just a run-through. The launch isn't till tomorrow."

"I know, but… I can't explain it, I just felt like I needed to be here," the pilot's fiancée replied while never taking her eyes off the monitors that showed Zinv on the launch pad and her fiancé inside its cockpit.

"Don't worry, my dear," Commander Rara exclaimed. "Everything is proceeding exactly as planned." He wrapped her arm around her shoulders and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

She gave her father a gracious smile, but quickly looked back at the monitors.

.

.

Location: Test Center, NERV Headquarters

---

"Pilot has entered the entry plug," stated Maya.

"Good, insert entry plug into Unit Zero." The doctor ordered as she stole a glance over at the observation windows to see Gendo looking on, intently.

A moment later, a technician reported, "Entry plug inserted into unit. Commencing to fill plug with LCL."

After a minute, the same tech added, "Plug filled."

"Rei, how do you feel?" the doctor asked.

A barely audible voice replied, "Fine."

"Activate," Gendo commanded.

"Connect the main power supply and all circuits together." Ritsuko's eyes never left the control panel displayed on the main screen.

"The main power supply is connected. Starting the activation system," Maya reported. "Voltage increasing to the critical point: 0.5, 0.2, rising!"

"Start the second phase of the activation system," the doctor ordered.

Shigeru complied. "The pilot has commenced the joining."

"Start System Phase II." Confidence in the test's successful outcome filled the doctor.

.

.

Location: In Tokyo3

---

Shinji had walked over two miles in the direction of the downtown region of the city; he searched in vain for a public phone in an effort to contact the woman who was supposed to pick him up. He glanced at the picture she sent him one more time as he walked. _'Man, she's awfully pretty. I wonder what she does for my father. Does she work for him, or…? My father… why after all this time, does he want to see me now?'_

He put the picture back in his shirt pocket and continued walking.

.

.

Location: Launch Center

---

On the launch pad, Zinv stood on a platform with the booster rocket system secured around its waist. The booster rocket system had two stages. The first stage would fire at takeoff and burn for 15 seconds, long enough for Zinv to reach an altitude of 5,000 meters. The secondary stage was intended to help it break out of earth's orbit. While Kazuki and Commander Sanada were confident that Zinv could reach outer space without any help, it was decided that for its initial launch it would be best not to overstress the mecha.

Tomorrow when the zero hour approached, coolant would be released to prevent the rockets from overheating and the first stage would fire with five seconds to the zero hour. But today, with the exception of the activation of Zinv and the spreading of its light-hawk wings, all other operations were bypassed.

"T-minus 10, 9, 8, 7…"

.

.

Location: Test Center, NERV Headquarters

---

Shigeru reported, "Synapses inserted. Junction started."

Maya continued. "Pulses transmitted."

The male tech followed. "All circuits are operational."

Gendo stood by the observation window, watching Unit 00 during the entire test. Kouzou and Ritsuko stood over by the control systems observing the displays and readouts.

The female tech continued to report, "The initial contact has no problems."

"Power has been transmitted up to the brachial muscle in both arms. There are no problems with the nerve links," the male tech announced.

"Checked," Maya replied, "up to 2550 on the list satisfied."

"Arrange for the third connection," Ritsuko commanded.

"Up to 2580 satisfied. Until the absolute borderline, 0.9, 0.7, 0.5, 0.4, 0.3, pulses are beginning to flow back!" the female tech yelled.

"Problems encountered on the third stage. Rejection is setting in on the nerve center elements," the male tech screamed.

"Stop the contacts. Break the circuits up to the 6th," Ritsuko ordered without hesitation.

"Negative!" Maya's fingers working frantically over the controls. "The signal is not being received! Unit Zero is out of control!"

Gendo yelled fiercely. "Stop the experiment. Shut off the power supply."

.

.

Location: Launch Center

---

"5, 4, 3, 2,"

Suddenly a blinding flash of light engulfed the launch pad and everyone in the command center turned away to protect their eyes. Seconds later, automatic filters helped dim the light that continued to shine from where the giant mecha stood.

A technician monitoring the pilot's life sympathy readings exclaimed. "Captain, the pilot's life sympathy ratio… it's fluctuating."

"Fluctuating? How?" Yayoi inquired.

"It's jumping from negative 200 to positive 200 and back."

"WHAT!" Everyone in the observation booth yelled.

"Show me the pilot," Yayoi ordered, seeing the monitor that had been showing him was blank now.

"Internal cameras not functioning," the male tech informed her.

"Report on the current state of the pilot." Yayoi rushed over to the control console station.

Another tech ran her fingers over the control panel furiously. "Pilot's life signs are… it can't be …"

"What? What is it?" the captain yelled.

"The pilot's life signs are non-existent," she reported.

"NO!" Mitsuki Rara screamed from behind the observation window.

"Are you saying he's dead?" the captain asked.

"No ma'am, I'm saying there's no one in Zinv." the technician clarified.

"I concur, ma'am." the other tech reported. "Life sympathy has gone to absolute zero. If the pilot was unconscious or even, even dead, there would still be some minor fluctuations, some noise because of an organic presence."

Yayoi nodded her understanding. "Absolute zero means an empty cockpit."

.

.

Location: Downtown Tokyo3

---

Shinji held the receiver to his ear as he listened to the recorded message.

"All normal lines are out of order due to the state of special emergency."

Shinji hung up the phone in disgust. "Out of order... I shouldn't have come... "

Pulling out the picture once more, Shinji read what Misato had written on it again, for the hundredth time. "Dear Shinji-kun. I'm coming to meet you, so please wait for me." A faint smile crossed his face at the last comment on the picture. "Attention to here!" with an arrow pointing to her breasts.

Shinji sighed, "I may not be able to meet her. Can't be helped--I'll head to the shelter."

Suddenly a strong wind blew causing the power lines to vibrate so hard they emitted an audible sound. Shinji covered his ears to protect them from the noise. Without warning, two UN forces attack helicopters appeared between the buildings. Shinji gaped at the sight, when suddenly a large arm swatted one of the crafts out of the air. Then in an instant, he was engulfed in a blinding light. "Ahhh!" He screamed but his scream died within seconds, replaced by total silence. The light continued as another slightly deeper scream emanated from it.

.

.

Location: Launch Center

---

"Ma'am, I'm detecting a faint life sign," the tech reported. "It appears the pilot is alive, but barely."

"Dispatch emergency vehicles to the launch pad, immediately!" Yayoi ordered. "And open Zinv's hatch!"

Mitsuki Rara and the others all breathed a sigh of relief at the news that the pilot was present in the mecha and apparently alive, though barely. But that relief disappeared when the hatch opened, revealing who was inside. An external camera zoomed in on the person in the flight suit.

"What the…" Yayoi's jaw dropped, as her eyes grew as large as saucers.

"Oh, my god." Mitsuki Sanada yelped as she slapped her hands over her mouth.

"Who on earth is that?" The two commanders said in unison.

Kazuki's fiancée simply stared at the person in the cockpit of Zinv for a few moments before collapsing to the floor. Everyone in the observation room rushed around her.

Thinking quickly, Yayoi commanded, "Dispatch a security team to take that person into protective custody as soon as he is checked out by the medical unit." _Zinv, what on earth did you do with our Kazuki?_

.

.

Location: Downtown Tokyo3

---

As the light dissipated, Kazuki found himself standing in the middle of what looked something like a futuristic version of Tokyo. He looked down at himself to see that he was no longer in his flight suit but rather was in a plain white dress shirt and dark slacks that were about a size or two too small. He stood there in shock, covered in sweat, his limbs shaking uncontrollably. Realizing he had something in his hands, he finally shifted his gaze to it. In one hand he had a picture of a young woman and in the other hand, an over sized duffle bag. The added weight and pressure on his back and around his shoulders told him he was also carrying a backpack. "What the hell is this?" He looked around. "Where the hell am I?"

He received something of an answer as the UN forces attacked the Angel, which struck another one of their aircraft and sent it crashing to the ground, no more than 20 meters from him. Kazuki screamed as debris flow in every direction. Seeing the giant creature for the first time, one thought came to his mind. "No, not again!"

Just then, Misato came skidding to a stop in her car and opened the passenger door. "Sorry to have kept you waiting..."

Not hesitating for introductions, Kazuki jumped in and slammed the door shut. "Go! Go! Go! Go!" He yelled as the purple haired woman in a mini-dress sped off.

.

.

Streets of Tokyo3

---

As Misato Katsuragi and Kazuki Yotsuga sped away, Kazuki spun around in his seat to look out the rear window and see the giant monster continue to make short work of the UN aircraft.

"What on earth is that thing, some kind of giant robot?" he asked. _Did I leap into another parallel world? Wait, that doesn't look anything like the artifact robots I battled before. Hmm, honestly, it doesn't even look metal._ He continued to stare at the mammoth creature.

"No, no robot. And it's not of this earth either. It's an angel," replied Misato.

He turned around in his seat and secured his seat belt. "An angel?" He glanced back once more. "I thought angels were benevolent beings sent from God. What kind of angel looks like that?" He stared skeptically at her.

"There are god-sent angels, _and_ demon-sent angels as well. What these are, I'm not sure but they are definitely angels, or at least that's what the Dead Sea Scrolls call them."

"But why are they here?"

They are here to destroy mankind." Misato's eyes never left the road as they zoomed around abandoned cars and construction sights.

"Destroy mankind?" Kazuki whispered to himself, looking down at his lap. Glancing to his right he noticed a folder with a picture paper clipped to it. He picked it up and read the name across the top. "Shinji Ikari."

Misato snickered. "Must be an old picture, ay Shinji-kun."

He stared wide-eyed at her. "Excuse me?"

"You look much more mature in person; I'm guessing that picture was taken, what two, three years ago?"

"Ahh" He stared at the picture. _She thinks I'm this, Shinji Ikari person. But I don't look anything like this boy. Do I?_ He opened the folder and began reading it. _Born June 6th, 2001 … what! That's impossible. That would make him just over a month old._ He closed the folder and stared at the picture. _This boy's got to be like 14 or 15 years old._ Turning back to the driver, he asked, "Excuse me… Ka.." He quickly pulled the picture out of his pocket and read the name on it again, then just as quickly placed it back in his pocket. "Katsuragi-san-"

"Oh please, call me, Misato," she said with a smile.

"Ah, okay, M…Misato-san… this is going to sound strange but, what's the date?"

"The date?" She shot him a questioning glance.

"Yes, please, what is today's date?" A measure of insistence resonated in his voice.

"Today is June 11th, of course. Did you hit your head on something out there, Shinji-kun?"

"And the year, what's the year?" Small droplets of sweat started to bead up on his forehead.

"Year? Are you joking?" the driver asked, and started to laugh. "What, did seeing that angel scare you so much you're now suffering from amnesia?"

"Please! Misato-san, I know it sounds crazy but… what year is it?" he pleaded.

"It's 2015, of course." She gave him another confused glance.

"2015?" Kazuki's eyes glazed over. _2015, how is that even possible? I've lost up to a month before, leaping from universe to universe but… but not 14 years. _He stared out the front windshield, his eyes unfocused. _Commander Sanada would be 65 now. And Mitsuki, oh my god! My Mitsuki would be 35!_ This realization brought him out of his stupor as his eyes darted around in search of something, anything to be able to see his own reflection. Finally, he grabbed the rearview mirror and turned it to look at himself.

"Hey, I need that!" Misato yelled but Kazuki paid no attention. He studied the face that was staring back at him. _I haven't aged a day. No wonder she thinks I'm this, Shinji-kun character._

He let go of the mirror and she quickly readjusted it for herself while shooting him a stern look. "What? Was a hair out of place?"

"Sorry… it's just that…" He trailed off. _I need to tell her I'm not Shinji-kun, who ever he is._ He looked at his form-fitting outfit. _Probably the owner of these clothes._ He looked over at Misato. "Katsu… I mean Misato-san. There's something I have to tell you."

"Hold that thought, Shinji-kun," she said as she slammed on the brakes and turned the wheel hard causing the car to spin to the right 120 degrees. Coming to a stop, she pulled out a pair of field binoculars and looked out at the distant mountain peak. "Hey! It can't be... Are they going to use an N2-mine?! Lie down!" She grabbed Kazuki and pulled him down, covering him with her body.

Though face down with his eyes squeezed shut and Misato lying on top of him; the brightness of the explosion filled his eyes with light. A moment later the force of the shockwave from the explosion invaded his senses as the car was flipped over numerous times, finally coming to rest on its side.

.

.

Room 303, Saitama General Hospital, Saitama Prefecture

---

After checking the patient's vitals one more time, the doctor walked up to Commander Sanada and Captain Schwael. "Well, the worst is over. He should be alright, considering. His brainwaves look good so I suspect there won't be any brain damage or long term memory loss, but only time will tell."

"Is he in a coma?" Yayoi looked at the motionless boy.

"No, just sleeping. The sedatives we gave him should keep him out for at least 3 or 4 hours." The doctor glanced back at his patient before returning his attention to them.

"But doctor, we need to question him, we need to find you who he is and where he's from, not to mention find out what happened to Kazuki-kun?" she insisted.

"That boy's been through a lot already. He nearly died. I suggest you wait till the morning to ask your questions."

"But doctor-" the captain continued to protest but was cut short by her commander.

"Very well doctor, but you won't mind if we post a guard at the door over night? Just as a precaution." The commander smiled.

After thinking about it for a minute, the doctor nodded. "I don't suspect the boy will be going anywhere anytime soon, but if you insist."

"I do." The commander assured him.

"Then be my guest. If you have no further questions for me, I still have other patients to see." The doctor nodded.

"Yes, of course, thank you for your time." The commander concluded and stepped aside to allow the man to pass.

Once the doctor was out the door, Yayoi addressed her boss. "Commander, I can get a base doctor to authorize reviving this boy now…"

"That won't be necessary, Captain."

"But Commander, Kazuki-kun might be …"

"In danger?"

She nodded.

"The thought occurred to me as well, but if there's anyone I have confidence in, to be able to handle any emergency, it's Kazuki-kun." He smiled. "Don't worry Yayoi-kun, our young pilot will be just fine. I'm sure of it." He patted her on she shoulder. "Let's go see how Rara-chan is doing."

She nodded again and walked out the patient's room, holding the door open for the commander. As he walked out, Sanada glanced back at the occupant of the sole bed in the room. "I hope you can answer our questions… and soon."

Getting off the elevator on the seventh floor, Commander Sanada and Captain Schwael spotted Mitsuki Sanada heading their way.

"Mitsuki, how is Rara-san's daughter doing?" asked Ken Sanada.

"She's resting peacefully now. They gave her something to relax her nerves, so she's been about to get some sleep. She woke up just now. She wanted to talk to her father. That's why I left the room. I was just heading down to see if there was any news about our visitor."

"Well, he's out of intensive care and is sleeping now. They say we should be able to question him in the morning," Ken Sanada answered.

Mitsuki sighed. "That may not be soon enough for Mitsuki-san. She keeps asking about Kazuki-kun." She rubbed her temples. "Daddy, do you have any idea what could have happened?"

"Hmm," he glanced up and down the hallway and gestured for the two of them to move over by the window with him. "I suspect that somehow the activation of Zinv along with the recent electro-magnetic disturbances may have caused a doorway in the space-time continuum, which sent Kazuki-kun elsewhere and brought this boy here."

"But sent Kazuki-kun where?" Yayoi asked.

"That we won't know until we can talk to our visitor. And even then we may not find out." Ken Sanada ran his finger and thumb along his chin.

"What do you mean?" his daughter asked.

"Well, I'm assuming that Kazuki-kun and this boy switched places in space-time but that may not be the case. It is possible that a chain in the space-time continuum was opened, sending Kazuki-kun to one alternate universe while sending an inhabitant from that universe to yet another alternate universe, and so on, until finally, this boy turned up in our universe. In addition, it's entirely possible that the chain may have looped back onto itself multiple times. In which case, Kazuki-kun may have leaped to multiple universes."

"If that happened, how on earth are we ever going to find him?" Yayoi managed to say what Mitsuki was thinking but was too afraid to put into words.

"All we can do is hope for the best." Ken Sanada scratched the top of his head and grinned.

"And what could that be?" Mitsuki finally spoke.

"That it was a simple one for one exchange, our Kazuki-kun for that boy downstairs."

They all nodded and prayed silently that that was the case.

.

.

"Daddy, how could this have happened?" Mitsuki Rara asked with tears in her eyes as she clung to her father's hand as if it were a lifeline preventing her from falling completely into despair.

"Don't worry, my little Mitsuki. We'll find him, I'm sure of it." The stout man smiled. "We have two of the greatest minds in the world of physics to solve this mystery and Kazuki-kun is a most resourceful and capable young man. I'm sure he's working on getting back home even as we speak."

"Oh Daddy, I hope you're right." She tried to smile but failed miserably as the tears streamed down the sides of her face. "I love him, Daddy. I love him so much it hurts."

Struggling to keep a strong front for his daughter, Commander Rara blinked his own tears way and leaned forward to give his only child a comforting hug. "There-there, my dear. I know, I know. And it's that love and Kazuki-kun's love for you that will bring him back to you. You'll see." Slowly, she began to settle down again. Her father brushed a few stray hairs from her face and smiled down at her again. "Try and get some sleep now. You'll need to be well rested if you want the doctors to let you out tomorrow."

She nodded. "Okay." As he let go of her hand, she asked. "Will you stay with my, Daddy?"

"Of course, Mitsuki. I was just going to move this chair closer." He gestured to a chair that was against the wall. He walked over to it and slid it next to the bed. "I'm not a young man. I can't stand all day long, anymore." He joked, giving her another reassuring smile.

This time she managed to smile back just for a moment before it slipped away and her eyes drifted shut.

Rara sat down on the chair and took his daughter's hand into his once again. Staring at her face, seeing lines of concern slowly fade away as she swiftly drifted off to sleep; he made a vow to her and to himself. "I'll bring your love back to you, Mitsuki. I promise, if I have to journey to hell and back myself, I will bring him back to you. Of this you can be sure." Now, with his daughter asleep, he allowed his own tears to fall; tears of a father agonizing over the pain his precious child was forced to endure.

.

.

In Tokyo3

---

Misato and Kazuki slowly climbed out of the car which lay on its side. Looking around Kazuki was amazed that they and the car survived the blast. The ground all around them had been laid to waste; even parts of the road asphalt crumbled and blew away.

Misato asked, "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine," he said in between spitting sand and dirt from his mouth.

"That's fine! Are you ready?" She smiled and leaned against the hood of her car.

"Oh, yeah." The other world visitor duplicated her actions.

Misato strained. "Here goes!" And they turned the car back on its wheels.

"Thanks a lot. Good job." She grinned, dusting off her hands and her jacket.

"Misato-san… I feel there's something I should tell you," Kazuki started to say.

"I know; you're nervous about meeting your father," she interrupted.

"My father?" The teen gave her a confused look.

"I suppose three years is a long time to go without seeing your own father. But you must understand Shinji-kun; your father is a very important man. His work takes up all his time." She reasoned with him.

"What work?" he asked.

"Well, commanding NERV, of course," she said, getting back in the car.

"NERV, what's NERV?"

"NERV is a secret organization under U.N. control whose sole purpose is to defeat the angels," she explained.

"Angels? Like that giant monster-thing we saw earlier?" He continued his line of questioning.

"Mmm hmm." She nodded.

_Okay, so she thinks I'm this Shinji Ikari, and his father is the commander of an organization called NERV, and he hasn't seen his son in three years. How very convenient. _Kazuki sighed.

"Are you waiting for an invitation?" Misato teased.

"Oh, sorry." He jumped in the car and they sped off.

.

.

Author's Notes: I thought I posted this chapter already. If fact I know I did since I even got a review for not, but was rather disappointed when I only got one review. Then I saw it was not posted anymore. Hopefully, it stays up this time. Please review. Let me know what you think of the changes and of the story in general.

Thanks,

A. Amishi

To Be Continued…


	3. Chapter 3: Clues and Lies

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Evangelion/Dual Crossover: In the Hands of a Real Hero

Chapter 3: Clues and Lies

Simulation Lab, Launch Center in the southern end of Saitama Prefecture north of Tokyo

Commander Sanada, Commander Rara, Captain Schwael, Lieutenant Sanada and about a half a dozen other technicians and system support members stood in a semi-circle around Senior Research Scientist, Kauro Hayase, waiting for her to begin her report.

Turning from the computer console to face her audience, Hayase began, "Based on satellite images taken at the time of the accident, along with sensor analysis taken both here and at Tokyo and Kei Universities; we've been able to formulate this simulation of what we believed happened during the launch exercise." Everyone looked at the giant monitor against the wall, which showed both Saitama and Kanagawa Prefectures. As the simulation ran a bright light first appeared down near Hakone, then seconds later an even brighter light appeared at the Launch Center. It lasted about 15 seconds and then was gone.

Everyone just stared at the blank monitor for a moment.

Hayase typed in some additional commands. "Here it is from ground level," a moment later, she was done, "from 10 kilometers southeast of Hakone." The simulation ran. Again the electro-magnetic disturbance first appeared near Hakone, and then a few seconds later a much larger one appeared in the distance at the Launch Center.

"Here it is at half speed this time." This time they could see that the EMD was actually originating underground. What was seen was just the top portion of the EMD. Then something else became visible that had escaped their attention before. A thin stream of light seemed to rise from the EMD source and streaked through the air in the direction of the Launch Center. It appeared to disappear high in the atmosphere only to reappear over the Launch pad and then the EMD that engulfed Zinv appeared.

"Oh my god," Mitsuki Sanada gaped. "They are connected; but why couldn't we see it from the overhead view?"

"Atmospheric interference." Hayase ended the simulation and turned to face her audience. "It distorted and disguised the connecting thread. As you saw even in the ground view, the stream seemed to disappear high in the atmosphere then reappear as it approached the Launch Center."

Addressing his senior researcher, Commander Sanada said, "Thank you Hayase-san. If it's not too much trouble, I'd like a full work up of every possible angle at one quarter speed, half speed and full speed."

"Not a problem, Commander. I can have it for you in six hours."

"Very good." He turned and headed for the exit. Everyone except for Hayase, followed.

"So what does this tell us?" Captain Schwael asked.

"Well, we now know that there is some connection with the EMDs that have been occurring near Hakone but other than that, nothing right now. Hopefully, we'll learn more in 6 hours."

"Where are we going now?" asked Mitsuki.

"To inspect Zinv, of course," answered Commander Rara.

"Yes," added Commander Sanada. "The activation of Zinv is somehow tied into all this. We need to take a closer look at him. He may hold the key to Kazuki-kun's disappearance."

"Mitsuki," her father addressed her. "I want you to go over to the hospital and see if our visitor is ready to answer some questions. See what he knows but be gentle with him. The boy's been through a rather traumatic experience already. I'm sure he's frightened and confused so be patient with him."

"Yes sir," she answered then she turned and went in the opposite direction of the others.

"Are you sure Mitsuki-san is the best choice for interrogating the lad?" Rara asked.

"I'm sure Mitsuki is up to the challenge, besides I don't think the boy will have anything to hide," replied her father.

"That's not what I meant. I mean, do you really believe she won't scare the boy half to death?" the shorter man clarified.

"Mitsuki?" Sanada considered this for a moment. "Mmm, perhaps you're right. Yayoi-san, why don't you go with Mitsuki and just make sure she doesn't… go too far."

"Yes sir." She saluted and turned; jogging down the hall to catch up with her subordinate.

.

At Saitama General Hospital, Mitsuki Rara was dressed and ready to leave. The attending physician had discharged her 30 minutes earlier and now she was just waiting for the nurse to show up with the wheelchair to take her to the exit. While she could walk on her own, it was hospital policy to wheel out all patients, so she waited for the nurse, every few seconds, checking her watch. Suddenly, a thought came to her and she got up and walked to the door. Opening it slowly she stole a glance down the hallway. The elevators were by the nurse's station but the stairs were just a few feet away. Thinking quickly she looked around the room until she found a rubber band. She stepped into the bathroom, and used her fingers as a comb to brush her hair back, and used the rubber band to pull it into a ponytail. Then she headed for the door and took a quick look over at the nurse's station again. No one was in her view so she walked quickly towards the stairs. Once in the stairwell she made her way down. She remembered hearing Mitsuki Sanada and her father talking about the boy that appeared in Zinv after the EMD, yesterday, and how he was on the third floor.

"What room was that again?" As she walked out of the stairwell and down the hall, she spotted a U.N. Security Officer standing outside a patient's room. "That must be it," she whispered to herself. She hoped he was relatively new or perhaps not even assigned to the Launch Center. If he wasn't from the Base, her plan might just work, she reasoned.

Mitsuki headed straight for the door ignoring the security guard entirely until he spoke. "Excuse me, ma'am, this room can only be entered by authorized personnel."

She stared at him as if he were the most insignificant of insects, wondering whether she should pluck him apart lime by lime or simply squish him and be done with it. The guard recoiled at the strength of her stare and nearly crumbled when Mitsuki Rara did her best Mitsuki Sanada impersonation. "And who do you think I am?"

"I… I don't know, ma'am," his voice trembled and cracked.

"I'm the commander's daughter and assistant, First Lieutenant Mitsuki... I'm here at the request of my father, the commander. Now step aside, I don't have all day."

"Y..yes ma'am, sorry ma'am. I didn't know." His voice cracked again and he quickly side stepped out of her way.

"Well, now you do." She eye-balled him again. No she wouldn't squish him this time, he was far too insignificant to bother killing but too annoying to ignore. "Don't let it happen again," She brushed passed him and into the room.

Once inside, she let out a sigh of relief and let her shoulders slump just a bit. She hated the idea of lying. But technically, she didn't lie. She identified herself as the commander's daughter and said her name was Mitsuki. All that was true, though did did say she was a lieutenant and in that way tried to pass herself off as Sanada's daughter and not Rara's daughter. But as long as it got her where she wanted to be and right now, where she wanted to be was here, in this room with a chance to find out what happened to her Kasuki. The luxury of letting her guard down lasted only a second. She looked over at the bed and the small figure in it that began to stir, Mitsuki steeled her resolve, and walked over to him. Standing at the side of the bed, she looked down at the sleeping boy. _He's so young, probably 13 or 14 only. Hardly what I'd consider a spy or foreign agent, but I have to find out. I have to find out where Kazuki-kun is, if anyone has taken him. I have to know._ She shook the boy's shoulder, not so gently till he began to stir once again, but he still remained asleep. Her patience quickly evaporated and she shook him more roughly until his eyes fluttered open.

It took a moment for his mind to register that he was no longer in the streets of Tokyo3 as he bolted upright. "Where am I?" he asked.

"In the hospital," Mitsuki Rara answered plainly.

"Hospital?" He looked down for a moment as if taking inventory of himself to determine if he was injured in anyway. Not feeling any pain, he turned to his visitor and asked, "What happened to me?"

"I'll be asking the questions around here," the stern looking woman snapped.

"Oh, sorry." He lowered his head in fear and shame.

"What is your name?" she asked.

"Aw, Shinji, Shinji Ikari," he answered.

"Where are you from Shinji Ikari?" she continued.

"Well, you see, I've been living with my teacher, i-in Osaka, b-but my father sent for me. S-so I came to Tokyo3 right away," he answered.

"Tokyo3? You mean Tokyo, right?"

"Tokyo? Tokyo's under water, why would I want to go there? No, my father works at Tokyo3,"

"And where exactly is Tokyo3?" Mitsuki's patience was running short.

"In the south end of the Kanagawa Prefecture, near Lake Hakone." He stared at her with a surprised look on his face. "Why don't you already know this? Where am I? And who are you?"

Ignoring his questions, she went on. "Where is Kazuki Yotsuga? What have you done with him?" she yelled.

"I…I don't know anyone named, Kazuki Yotsuga." He cringed in fright as her anger flared in her eyes.

"Who are you working for? How did you get inside Zinv?" She reached out and grabbed him by his hospital gown and shook him violently. "Answer me!"

"I don't work for anybody. I'm just a junior high student. I-I've never heard of a Zinv, h-honest." Cold sweat streamed down the boy's face and he placed his hands on her wrists, trying futilely to pull free.

"You're lying! What did you do with Kazuki? Who do you work for? TELL ME!" she demanded.

"I told you I don't know any Kazuki!" he pleaded.

"Liar!

As the two female officers approached the hospital room where their visitor was, the guard did a double take then began sweating profusely.

Yayoi flashed her ID. "I'm Captain Yayoi Schwael and this is Lieutenant Mitsuki Sanada. We're here to see the boy in this room."

"Aaah, excuse me but…how many daughters does Commander Sanada have named Mitsuki?" The guard's voice cracked three times.

"What?" replied, a confused Sanada.

Suddenly, shouting could be heard from inside the room. The two women flashed a look at each other, coming to the same conclusion in an instant. "Mitsuki-chan!"

They flung the door open to find Mitsuki Rara shaking the boy roughly and screaming at him. The boy looked to be in total shock. His eyes were as large as saucers and showing the type of fear neither had seen from anyone in a long time. The guard responded first. Rushing into the room, he grabbed Miss Rara from behind and pulled her away from the bed. This almost caused the boy to fall out of the bed since she refused to release him. It was only the quick reaction of the other two women that kept the boy from hitting the floor.

"Let me go!" Rara screamed. "Let me go!"

"Not until you tell me who you are." The guard countered.

"Officer, this is Mitsuki Rara." Yayoi told him. "She **is** the daughter of the commander, just the other commander."

"I see ma'am, but I'll have to take her into custody," the guard informed her.

"What the hell for?" Rara screamed, still struggling to break free.

"Because you falsely identified yourself and though I may be new, I do know that you are not a member of the UN staff." He growled at her as he struggled to make his way out the door.

"Officer," Yayoi addressed the guard. "Release her. I'll take her into custody, myself."

"But ma'am-" he started.

"Captain," she corrected him sternly.

"Ah, yes Captain." He let his captive go. "Will there be anything else?" he asked.

"No, you may wait outside." Yayoi told him.

As Mitsuki Sanada tried to calm Shinji down, Yayoi grabbed the other Mitsuki by the elbow and pulled her aside and whispered curtly, "What were you thinking, coming in here pretending to be Sanada's daughter?"

Rara met Yayoi's harsh gaze. For a moment, she didn't flinch but only for a moment. "I-I have to find out where Kazuki-kun is. I have to." She covered her face with her hands as she began to weep. Yayoi sighed and put her arms around the young woman, bringing the girl's head to rest on her shoulder. "There-there, everything's going to be all right. We're doing everything in our power to find Kazuki-kun and bring him back home."

Mitsuki nodded her head slightly, accepting Yayoi's comfort and acknowledging her claim as truth.

"Come on, lets go get a cup of coffee, and I'll tell you what we've learned so far. Okay?" the older woman said in a reassuring voice.

Finally getting control of herself, Mitsuki stopped crying and nodded once again.

Turning to her companion, Yayoi said. "I'm going to take her to get some coffee. I'll be back in a little bit."

"Okay." Mitsuki Sanada nodded then turned back towards the boy sitting before her.

As the other two women left, she went on to say. "So are you all right?"

"Yeah, I think so," Shinji said, his fear still quite evident.

"I'm sorry about what happened, but that young woman just lost her fiancé and it seems you are the only real clue we have concerning his whereabouts."

"M-me?" He looked at her in shock.

"Mmm, hmm. By the way, my name is Lieutenant Mitsuki Sanada, but you can call me Mitsuki." She smiled.

"H.. hi Mitsuki-san. My name is Shinji Ikari." he said timidly.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Shinji-kun." She extended her hand, which caused him to flinch for a second, but then he reached out as well and shook it.

.

.

NERV

As Commander Gendo Ikari walked through the corridors of NERV, heading for the exit, Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki relayed to him data taken from the battle earlier that day.

"It's a good think Shinji was able to activate Unit 01 when he did." Fuyutsuki observed. "For a moment there, I didn't think he was going to be able to do it."

"THAT was not Shinji," Gendo replied.

"What! Are you sure?"

"I may have only seen my son once in ten years, Kouzou but I know my son's personality. And that was most definitely not it. He would have never spoken back to Ritsuko or the Captain that way," the commander pointed out. "No, my son is a coward. This boy has a spine."

_Bastard. If the boy lacks courage, it's only because you robbed him of it. _The sub-commander held his tongue.

"This boy has courage and resourcefulness to spare," Gendo continued.

"But if we don't know who he is, doesn't that make him a security risk? Should we place him under arrest?" the older man asked.

"No. He's pretending to be Shinji for a reason. Let's keep an eye on him for the time being. If he does anything to endanger the Evas or this facility then arrest him but otherwise let him be. Perhaps his own actions will reveal his true identity to us." Gendo stopped at the exit. "I'm going to check on Rei, see that the doctor's report is on my desk when I return."

"Will you be checking in on the imposter as well?" Kouzou asked.

"That may prove interesting." A small smirk crossed his lips. "By the way, until his true identity is revealed, refer to him as Shinji and tell no one else."

"What about your son?" The older man added.

"What about him?" the commander replied.

"Well, shouldn't we be looking for him?"

"Why? We have someone who can pilot Unit One. That is all that matters."

"Understood." The two men went their separate ways.

.

Hospital room, Tokyo3

Slowly the young man opened his eyes. The stark white ceiling and pale white light filled his field of vision. "Where am I?" he whispered weakly. The smell of disinfectant provided him with an answer. "Hospital. I must have blacked out." Carefully, he sat up and scanned the room confirming his suspicions. Taking a deep breath, Kazuki looked down at his arms and chest. "No monitors or IV. Guess it wasn't that serious. Must have been just for observation." Tossing the blanket aside, he swung his legs over the edge and stood up. "Head is clear, balance is good." Spotting his clothes on the chair next to the bed, he walked over and gathered them up. "No reason to stay in this hospital gown." But taking a good whiff of himself, he decided. "Guess I could use a shower first. I smell like blood." With his clothes under his arm, he headed for the bathroom.

Thirty minutes later, Kazuki walked out of the hospital room fully dressed with his hair still damp and uncombed. Walking over to the window, he looked out over the city or at least the portion visible from the hospital. From here, it didn't appear as if the battle had caused much damage to the city at all. His stared pensively, at the city he just saved. _How will I get back home this time? Home to you, Mitsuki. This is an alternate universe all right but not a parallel one. At least I don't think so. I'll have to check the city records to see if an alternate me or Sanada or Rara exist here. And what are these… these Angels they are fighting? I got lucky today. I was able to activate the Eva because of Zinv; I'm certain of it, but will he be able to help me again in the future? Someone has to battle those things and I'll be damned if I let that… that Commander Ikari make that innocent girl do it. Rei… pretty name, Rei. Means soul. Strange color hair and eyes but they look good on her. Kinda like Dee. _The boy's eyes went wide_. Like Dee. Could she be?_

Kazuki was roused from his thoughts by the sound of a gurney being wheeled by. He turned to see the very person he was just thinking of pass by. _Rei. _ He broke into a light jog to catch up to the gurney. "Excuse me, where are you taking her?" he asked the orderly.

"Back to her room. She just finished having some tests done," the orderly answered.

"May I accompany her?" Kasuki asked politely.

"I guess," the second orderly responded apathetically.

On the elevator ride up to the floor where Rei's room was, Kazuki spoke to Rei. "How are you feeling Rei-san?"

"Do I know you?" she asked, staring at him through the one eye that was not bandaged.

"Well, we met just briefly." He smiled. "I'm… I'm Shinji, Shinji Ikari," he lied.

"The commander's son?"

"Yeah, the commander's son." A big stupid grin crossed his face as beads of sweat formed on his brow.

"When did we meet?" she inquired.

"Ahhh, well, earlier today. At…" He looked up at the two orderlies who were standing, staring at the floor indicator. "I'll tell you later." He smiled. "All that's really important is how you are feeling."

"I am not in pain at the moment," she replied passively, just above a whisper.

"Well, no pain. That's a good thing." Kazuki continued to smile.

Moments later, they exited the elevator and proceeded to Rei's room. The orderlies moved her from the gurney to her bed then left. Kazuki stood next to her bed. _She looks so helpless, so frail._

"Is there something you want from me?" asked Rei.

"Oh." The boy went wide-eyed. "N…no I… I just thought you might like some company. Lying in a lonely hospital room hour after hour can get pretty boring."

"I am accustomed to solitude," she replied.

"Really? What about your family? Do both of your parents work?" he asked.

"I have no parents. I live alone," she answered.

"Alone? How old are you?" Concern for this person grew within Kasuki with each exchange.

"I am fourteen," she responded.

"Fourteen and living on your own. Don't you think you're a little young to be living by yourself?"

"I have lived on my own for a year now. Nothing has ever happened to me."

"But just because nothing has happened yet, doesn't mean, nothing will in the future."

"It is of no consequence."

"How can you say that? Wh…who is your guardian?" he insisted.

"Commander Ikari," she answered.

_Why doesn't that surprise me? I'm learning to dislike this commander, more and more each passing moment._

As if on queue, Gendo Ikari walked into the room. Taken aback only for a second to see the pilot of Unit 01 in the room, he quickly put on a false appearance of happiness as he walked over to the opposite side of Rei's bed from where Kazuki was. "Just the two people I was looking for. How are you, son?" He stared at the boy.

Kazuki stared back for a moment before replying. "I'm fine. Just fine…f-f-father. Thank you for asking."

Turning his attention to the girl in the bed his smile seemed to become a bit more genuine. "How are you feeling, Rei?"

"I am feeling better. I am sure I will be able to leave the hospital and resume my duties shortly," she responded with an enthusiasm that was previously non-existent.

"Well, the doctor said you will need at least 20 days to heal fully, so be sure to get your rest during that time."

"Very well, commander." She relaxed a bit.

Looking back at the boy, he continued. "I see you're getting to know our newest pilot."

"Your son is the Third Child?" she asked.

"Yes, and he performed admirably today."

"So the Angel was defeated?" asked Rei.

"Yes, Shinji here made short work of it. You were most impressive, son." He stared at the boy like he was observing a bug under a microscope.

Averting his eyes, the boy replied. "Thank you. I just tried my best is all."

"Yes, tried your best." Kazuki could tell by the way the man repeated his words, somehow he didn't quite believe him.

An uneasy silence settled over the room when suddenly Captain Katsuragi entered. "There you are, Shinji-kun. I've been looking all over for you. Oh, Commander-san, I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Captain Katsuragi, what brings you here?"

"I came to take Shinji-kun to the barracks. He has been discharged already," she answered.

"I see. So you're staying at the NERV barracks?" he asked the boy.

"You arranged his accommodations, sir. Don't you remember?" Misato gave the commander a curious look.

"Obviously not." Turning to the boy, he asked, "Would you prefer to stay at my apartment?"

Kazuki grew wide-eyed and broke in to a cold sweat. "I-I don't think that would be such a good idea," he replied.

"Perhaps you are right. Ten years is a long time." Turning to the captain, an idea crossed his mind. "Captain, would you mind being Shinji's guardian?"

"SIR?" Misato looked like she was just hit in the face with a frying pan.

"My son is new in this city and could use some guidance."

"Umm, sure? My apartment has two extra bedrooms, I don't see why not." She grinned.

"I don't want to put you out, Misato-san," the boy interrupted.

"No, don't be silly. It's no problem, really." She waved her hand, dismissing his protest as the silly grin on her face grew.

"Well, if that's the case." Kazuki looked down at Rei. "Can Misato-san be Rei-san's guardian as well, Father-san?"

Three hard stares blasted the young man. If a stare were a tangible thing that could be felt, he would have been sent flying threw the wall.

"That is not necessary," Rei responded first.

"Rei is correct. She is fine on her own." The commander followed.

"Well, no sense in arguing." The captain continued to grin stupidly.

"I disagree." Kazuki stared at the commander. "In her present condition, Rei-san will obviously need help with even basic personal care. With the captain and I around to help her, she will be able to manage much easier."

"This issue is not open to discussion." Without another word the commander turned and left the room.

The door barely closed when Kazuki rushed out after him.

In the hallway he called out. "Commander-san, why do you want Rei-san to be on her own? It doesn't make sense. She's only fourteen years old. She needs adult supervision."

"You would do well to end this line of reasoning. The matter is closed."

"But if our primary objective is to defeat the angels, wouldn't it make sense to have all the pilots and our immediate superior living and working closely together… in order to improve overall team performance?" Kazuki offered, remembering Commander Sanada's reasoning for having him and Dee move into the commander's house along with Mitsuki back in the parallel universe.

The commander came to a halt. "You won't stop till you get what you want, will you?"

"Not when I know I'm right," replied Kazuki.

"Very well, I will send the forms to the captain later today. I just hope this isn't some adolescent attempt to find a girlfriend." Gendo shot the boy an accusing stare.

"I just want what's best for everyone." Kazuki glared at the commander.

"Sooo… Rei-chan… how are you feeling?" Misato finally asked after several minutes of silence between the only two occupants in the room.

"I am without pain at the moment," the blue-haired girl responded.

"Well, no pain is good." Misato looked at her watch, anxious to leave or at least to leave the room but afraid to step out into the hallway and into the middle of a father/son argument.

Just then Kazuki walked back into the room, his spirits noticeably lighter than when he left. He walked over to Rei and told her, "I checked with the front desk. They said they plan on keeping you here for at least a week for treatment and observation. That will give us plenty of time to move your things to Misato-san's place."

"What?" Misato yelled with a stunned look in her eyes.

"The commander approved this arrangement?" asked Rei.

"Yes, he did. Enthusiastically, after I explained the benefits of having team members living together." He smiled.

"What benefits?" the captain asked skeptically.

"As we learn each others habits and behaviors in our daily lives we will learn to better function as a team when fighting the angels," he replied.

"And how do you know this?" she continued.

"I… I wrote a paper of the subject of teamwork for school last year. My teacher said it was one of the best reports he had ever read in all his years of teaching." He smiled. _Okay, that's laying it on a little thick._

"Is that right?" Misato stared at Kasuki. "Well, if you're done here I guess I should take you to your new home."

"Can you give me a minute?" he asked.

Looking at Rei then back at the boy, she replied, "Sure but don't take too long. Later, Rei-chan."

"Farewell, Captain-san." The girl watched the Operations Director walk out the room before turning her attention to the boy.

With the captain out of the room, Kazuki fixed his attention on Rei. "I hope you're not upset that I persuaded the commander to have you move in with Misato-san and me?"

"If this is the commander's wish, then I shall obey," she replied softly.

"But you're not happy about it?" he inquired.

"I have no feelings either way concerning the matter."

"Okay… well, I'll see you tomorrow then, all right?" He smiled.

"Why?" she asked plainly.

He was taken aback slightly by her reply but then he thought, _Dee, just like Dee. _"Because you are my fellow pilot and as such, I am concerned for your welfare."

"For the success of our mission." She reasoned.

"No, for your well-being." He corrected.

Her eyes grew slightly larger, as she stared at him, at his eyes. "Look into my eyes," she said.

"Excuse me?"

"That is what you said to me in an effort to get me to stop focusing on the pain. You told me to look deep into your eyes."

"Yes, that's right. You remember now. That's great." The boy smiled.

"Look into my eyes now, Pilot Ikari-san," she demanded.

Slowly his smile vanished as he obeyed her instruction, leaning in closer to give her a clear view into his eyes.

Rei in turn focused entirely on his eyes, staring deeply as if searching for something, something hidden, something that had once been revealed to her if only for an instant. Slowly it came into focus, a powerful image, a frightening image. And as it became clearer she was certain she saw its one eye flash green, just for an instant. She gasped and turned away. Her sudden reaction caused Kazuki to blink and look away as well.

Returning his attention to her, he asked, "Is something wrong, Rei-san?"

Slowly, she turned back to face him again. "Wrong?" She considered his question for a minute, then replied, "No. Nothing is wrong. Not at this time."

"Okay, well, I'll see you tomorrow then." He smiled.

"If you deem it important?" she responded.

"I do."

"Tomorrow then." She closed her eyes and allowed sleep to overtake her or at least he thought she did.

Smiling, the boy turned and walked out of the room. With the door closed, Rei gradually opened her eyes. "What are you, Shinji Ikari?"

.

.

In the main conference room at the Saitama Launch Center

"Lieutenant Sanada, please, your report." Her father instructed.

Mitsuki Sanada stood up and glanced at her notes, then proceeded. "The boy we found in Zinv after the accident is named Shinji Ikari. He is fourteen years old and has lived the past ten years with his teacher in Osaka. He was born June 6th." She paused. "2001." Then waited for the expected response.

"2001? How can that be?" Commander Rara shouted.

"He's from the future," deduced Commander Sanada.

"Exactly correct. In his world, it is the year 2015," Mitsuki explained.

"Amazing," Commander Rara marveled.

"There's more. On September 13th in the year 2000, a cataclysmic event occurred he called, Second Impact," she explained.

"Second Impact?" her father questioned.

"According to Shinji-san, a giant meteor struck the South Pole on that day resulting in the meltdown of the polar icecap. All coastal cities were flooded. The earth's axis was permanently altered and within three years nearly half the world's population was dead."

"How horrible," Hayase whispered.

"Shinji-san had just arrived in the city of Tokyo3 when the incident that sent him here occurred."

"Tokyo3?"

"Yes, apparently Tokyo was destroyed by the floods and is still underwater. A city was built a few kilometers way and was called Tokyo2. It still exists but for some reason another city was built in the southern end of Kanagawa Prefecture near Hakone Lake and was named, Tokyo3."

"So there is a connection!" the two commanders said in unison.

"What was he doing there in Tokyo3?" Hayase asked.

"Apparently, he was summoned by his estranged father whom he has not seen but once in the past ten years. His father is the head of an organization called Nerv. What Nerv does exactly or why he was summoned, Shinji-san doesn't know. Though according to his teacher, whatever it is that Nerv does, it is supposedly critical to the survival of the human race."

"Incredible, just incredible," Commander Sanada said.

"Shinji-san did give some indication of what Nerv may do. He said just before he was engulfed in a bright light he saw a giant monster of some sort." Mitsuki continued.

"Was it a robot?" Rara asked.

Mitsuki shook her head. "He didn't seem to think so. He thought it looked more organic than metallic. This was all we've been able to ascertain thus far without revealing too much about our world."

"So he has no idea he is no longer in his world?" her father asked.

"Not at this time. But I don't see how we will be able to keep that from him for very long." She added. "Daddy there's something else."

He looked at her with a surprised expression. She knew better than to address him in this manner at work, especially in the middle of a meeting like this but seeing the concern in her eyes he relented and asked, "What is it Mitsuki?"

"This boy, Shinji-kun. In the short time I was with him, I got the impression I was dealing with a very fragile psyche. His mother died when he was just three and he was abandoned by his father a few months later. The impression I got was that while his teacher provided him with a place to live, he didn't give him what every child needs."

"Love." her father said sadly. "What would you suggest Mitsuki?"

"Well… I don't know…" She looked down at her notepad on the table. "I just think he could use some understanding, some support right now." She looked up at her father. "Do you know what I mean?"

"Yes Mitsuki, I'll talk to your mother. I'm sure she won't mind." He smiled.

Mitsuki Rara who was sitting across from Mitsuki Sanada narrowed her eyes to small slits and clinched her teeth tightly.

"Well, that's my report." Mitsuki said then sat down and glanced around the room quickly to see if anyone had any further questions. When she made eye contact with Mitsuki Rara, she was taken aback by the glare the other girl was giving her, but she chose to ignore it for the time being since Rara didn't ask a question.

Pressing some controls on the A/V control panel at his seat, Ken Sanada lowered a large view screen. "This is footage from earlier today. This is what we recorded of Zinv's sudden activation."

The footage was a little shaky at first as the camera operator was rushing to set up since the giant mecha was already activated.

"As you can see, there is some type of energy field around it. Our attempts to open the hatch were unsuccessful. Also, we were unable to detect anything from within the cockpit. Our sensors were unable to penetrate the energy field at all. What we did detect were several sounds emanating from Zinv."

Commander Rara picked it up from there. "I had one of our analysts try and scrub the sounds to see if he could find anything distinguishable." Looking at his watch, he continued. "We should be hearing from him, shortly."

Just then the conference room communicator beeped. The commander pressed the ON button, "Yes?"

"We have completed the analysis of the sounds heard while Zinv was active, Commander-san."

"And?"

"Most of it was incoherent noise but two distinguishable phrases could be heard."

"Play them," Commander Rara instructed.

Though staticy and quite faint, they all were able to make out, **"No you don't. You're not getting away from me this time."**

The analyst said, "This was recorded at six minutes, fifty-five seconds after initial activation. The following was recorded at seven minutes, twenty-six seconds; just before Zinv deactivated."

**"Thank you Zinv. I know you helped me do this. Thank you."**

Everyone was silent for several moments. Finally, Commander Rara asked, "And have you been able to confirm who spoke those words?"

"Yes Commander-san, these words were spoken by Lieutenant Kazuki Yotsuga, there is no doubt. His voice patterns were a perfect match."

"Thank you lieutenant-san," The commander terminated the call.

Multiple conversations erupted; all sorts of speculations were being thrown around. The only person who remained silent was Mitsuki Rara who buried her face in her hands as she wept silently. _Thank you god, thank you. My Kazuki is alive, he's still alive_.

.

.

Tokyo 3

As they drove from the hospital, Kazuki couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable. Glancing over at Misato, he could tell she wasn't too thrilled with the prospect of having two new roommates. Or at least that's what he assumed.

"Misato-san, I just want to say, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to get caught up in a dispute between the commander and me," he finally said.

"Are you so uncomfortable around him that you prefer to call him commander rather than father?" she asked.

_If you only knew the real reason. Well, if it will help divert attention for the time being. "_Is it that obvious?" he finally replied.

"I guess I understand. I hated my father too," she answered.

Kazuki just turned away. He didn't know how to respond to such a revelation. Though he didn't have the greatest relationship with his father, he knew his father loved him and he loved his father. Besides, over the past year, Uncle Sanada was more like a father to him with his own parents overseas on business all the time. What warmth Kazuki's father may have lacked; Uncle Sanada more than made up for.

Repeating what Misato had said to himself, his eyes widened slightly. "Hated, does that mean you've resolved your differences with him?" he asked hopefully.

Misato was silent for just a moment before responding, "No, it means he's dead. He died at the South Pole on September 13th, 2000."

"Oh … sorry." He looked down at his lap. _Stupid, you should have just kept your big mouth shut. _ He scolded himself.

"It's all right. Say, you don't mind if we make a quick stop at the market, do you?" his new guardian asked.

"No. Not at all," he replied.

"Good, we need to pick a few things up for the celebration." She suddenly smiled.

"Celebration?" He raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Of course, we need to celebrate your victory over the Angel and the arrival of my new roommate." She gave him a big toothy grin.

"I-I thought you weren't happy about the idea of having Rei and I move in with you." He stated with some hesitation.

"Well, to tell you the truth, Rei isn't the easiest person to get to know. She's kinda distant and cold but I've been thinking about what you said. How familiarity helps improve teamwork, and against the Angels, we're going to need every advantage we can get. So I figure this will be a good opportunity for all of us to get to know each other better."

Smiling wide, the boy responded, "I'm glad you think so. I'm sure we'll see positive results almost immediately."

"I hope so Shinji. I hope so."

"Well, we'll stop by some place along the way." Misato said as the road took them up the nearby foothill.

"Stop? Okay," Kazuki replied. He was anxious to inquire where but choosing to remain silent instead.

"This... is... a... good... place." She giggled as she pulled the car off the side of the road.

Getting out of the car, they walked over to the guardrail and looked out over the city. The sun was low in the horizon and a bright orange hue washed over the city.

"Seems peaceful like this. You can hardly make out the damage it incurred," the boy said.

Looking down at her watch, Misato said, "The time has come."

A loud alarm sounded that pierced the air and caused Kazuki to jump just a little. "What was that?" As if to answer his question, several of the buildings began to rise: 20, 40, 60 stories tall, some even taller.

"That's incredible! The buildings are growing! How? Why?" He shifted his gaze back and forth from the city and Misato.

"This is the fortress city for Angel interception, Tokyo-3," she said proudly. "Our hometown... and the town you protected."

Kazuki smiled at her. "Thanks. Thanks for bringing me hear and showing me this. Thanks for … well, thanks."

She just smiled at the boy for a minute then inhaled and said, "We should get going."

Nodding his agreement, the teen from another dimension turned and followed her back to her car.

As they exited the car, Kazuki said, "Here Misato, let me take those for you." He grabbed the grocery bags and followed her to the elevator of the apartment complex.

"You're sure helpful." She smiled.

"I try."

Walking down the hall toward her apartment, Misato said, "I think your stuff has arrived. Actually, I just moved into town the other day, myself." Stacked just outside her apartment were a few boxes belonging to Shinji Ikari. Reaching the door to her apartment, Misato swiped her card key threw the lock and opened the door. "Come in." She smiled.

Without hesitation or fanfare, the teenage boy walked through the doorway and down the hall. Turning the corner to enter the main room of the apartment, he gasped slightly. _Well, Misato sure is no Mitsuki, Rara or Sanada. Not even Yayoi or Dee for that matter. _ "Wh-where's the kitchen?" he asked.

Walking up next to him, she pointed to the right, "over there," as she headed straight for her room. "Just put the stuff in the fridge." She called out.

"Okay," he replied as he headed in the direction she indicated. Walking in the kitchen, he saw the disaster that was in the living room was nothing compared to the mess in this room. "Hey Misato, I think you need to contact the Civil Defense League!"

"What for?" She yelled from her room.

"They handle natural disasters, don't they?" He grinned. "And what is that smell?" He added under his breath.

"Very Funny Shinji! HA HA HA!" She yelled sarcastically.

Laughing softly to himself, the boy took two items out of one bag and went to put them in the refrigerator.

Opening the door, he looked in and gasped for a second time. Then he straightened up and yelled, "Misato, ever hear of Alcoholics Anonymous?"

"Shinji, ever hear of the expression, Bite Me?" She hollered back as she walked out of her bedroom in a tank top and very short, shorts.

Catching an eyeful of his roommates considerably exposed flesh, the young man turned his head away quickly to hide the deep red shade his cheeks turned.

"Oh, it's okay, we're doing to make most of that stuff right now anyway." She grinned as she grabbed a few items from the bag and walked over to the microwave.

"Oh, okay." He set about taking the rest of the items out of the bags then he started cleaning off the table so they could eat.

A few minutes later their meals were hot and they sat to eat.

"Well, lets eat!" The scantily clad woman licked her lips with glee.

"Yeah, let's eat!" The boy smiled back, allowing himself a momentary glance at her cleavage before turning his attention to his food. "Mmm, this stuff is good," he said enthusiastically.

Grinning widely, the woman replied, "Hehe, I thought you'd like it. This instant stuff is pretty good." She took a big chug of beer, "Phaaaaaah Kwaaaaaah! Oh, my dear life! I just live for these times!"

Kazuki laughed. _She's not so bad. I guess doing what she has to do, she's entitled to cut loose once in awhile. _ Downing the rest of his food in a matter of minutes, he asked. "Mind if I serve myself second?"

"Not at all. Serve as much as you like. Open another package if you need to." Misato replied as she took another drink.

Watching him for a moment as he sat back down and started eating again, she observed. "My, you do have a healthy appetite."

Looking up from his food, he caught another glimpse of her cleavage before meeting her eyes. "Well, i-it's been awhile since I last ate, and fighting that Angel really took it out of my." He smirked.

"That's fine. A growing boy like you needs his nourishment." Glancing at the way his shirt pulled at his shoulders, she added. "And looking at the way that shirt fits you; I'd say you've been growing a lot recently."

"Hmm?" The teen stopped eating long enough to look at the clothes he was wearing. While the shirt was slightly loose around the waist, it was noticeably tight across his chest and shoulders. The pants fit him around the waist, but they were very tight at the thighs and at least 50 mm of his socks were exposed below the cuff. "Yeah, well, I guess, I kind of neglected my wardrobe the past couple of years." He lied.

"And what about the rest of you clothes?" she asked, holding her beer can to her chin.

Thinking about that for a minute, he replied. "They're all pretty much the same."

"Well, I guess you can skip school tomorrow and we can get you some new clothes. I love a good excuse to shop." She grinned.

After they clearing it off, Misato grabbed a large white board and set it on the table. Then she grabbed a black magic marker and made an array on it. She labeled across the top the days of the week, and across the left side a list of daily chores. Kazuki watched her as she did this.

When she was done she turned to the boy and said, "Okay, I figure Janken is the fairest way to divide the weekly chores, don't you?"

He considered her question for a moment but before he could respond she begin. "Rock, Paper, Scissors!" He didn't lift his hand to participate as she flashed paper.

"What's wrong Shinji-kun?"

"No, no, this isn't the best way to divide the weekly chores," he finally replied.

"What?"

"I'm sorry Misato-san, but if I'm correct, isn't it your job as Operations Director, to come up with strategies for attacking and defeating the angels? You're a captain. I'm guessing you have some military background?"

"So what's that got to do with anything?" she retorted.

"Simple, you're well versed in strategy, in out thinking your opponents. What chance do I have in out thinking you even in a game as simple as Janken? Not much of one, I'd say." he answered his own question. "No, I think we should take a more logical approach to this." He turned the board around so it was facing him.

"I'm willing to guess that I'll have to go to school before you go into work, on most days at least." He extended his hand and Misato gave him the marker. "So I'll make breakfast." He wrote the name, Shinji, across the first line, from Monday through Friday. "But you'll probably be home in time to make dinner most days so." He wrote Misato across the second line, again just on the weekdays. "We can alternate that for the weekends." He did just that. "Garbage, we can alternate days." He wrote Misato's name in on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and Shinji on the other four days. "Finally, the bathroom. I suppose that can be the same as the garbage." He filled it in the same way. "See, now that is fair and equitable." He closed the marker and handed it back to his roommate.

Staring at the board, Misato commented. "I still think it would have been more fair using Janken."

"More fair for you perhaps, not for me." Kazuki stretched. "Well, I guess I'll bring my stuff in. Which room will be mind?" He asked as he walked out of the kitchen.

Taking a minute to hang the board up on the wall, Misato walked into the living room where the boy was already in the process of stacking up the few boxes that had been outside. "Well, you can take either bedroom I guess but I'd suggest you take the smaller of the two. A girl needs more space than a boy." she said, putting her hands on her hips.

Kazuki nodded. "You're right." He walked over to one room and opened the door. Looking inside, he took a mental note of its dimensions then he walked over the other bedroom and did the same. "I guess I'll take this one." Then he started moving Shinji's things into the room.

"My, I must say, you surprise me, Shinji-kun." She stated.

Picking up the last box, he turned towards her. "How so?"

"Well, with all that you've been through, I sorta thought you'd have a harder time adjusting to life here." She scratched her head.

_How very ironic that you should say that. _ He grinned. "Well, it has been quite an adjustment, but I've always felt it was important to make the best out of whatever hand fate deals you." Then he turned and took the box to his new room.

She smiled back as she followed him into the room. "That's a really great attitude to take. I'm really glad to hear you say that." Looking about for a minute, she offered, "Would you like some help unpacking?" She crouched down next to a box.

"Hmm, no. That's okay; I wasn't going to unpack right now anyway. I'll do it later. Actually, I thought I'd take a short walk around the neighborhood." He forced a grin.

"A walk?" She stood back up and gave him a sideways stare.

"Yeah, well if I'm going to be living here, I should get familiar with my surroundings, don't you think?" He laughed.

"Well, I guess so. Just don't stay out too late. It's already dark out." She warned.

"I won't; just a couple blocks." He assured her as he gestured for her to exit the room and he closed the door behind him. "I won't be more then a half-hour, tops." He added as he walked down the hallway to the door. Before slipping on his shoes, he turned back and asked. "Misato, I was wondering, when I get back, can we talk… you know about the Angels and the Evas, and all. If I'm going to be fighting these things, I'd like to know as much about them as I can."

"Sure Shinji, when you get back." She smiled.

"Good." He returned the gift and turned to leave.

A moment later, Misato heard the door close. "What an amazing boy. I'd have never thought… Oh well, guess I'll take a bath before he returns."

Heading for the bathroom, her other roommate came waddling out. "Hi PenPen, did you miss me?" She bend down and hugged her pet penguin. The hot springs penguin squawked happily. "Mmm, that's a good boy." She patted it on the head and stood back up. "Well, it's mommy's turn to take a bath, so off you go." The bird squawked once again then waddled off.

Laughing softly she went into the bathroom.

"What a screwed up world." Kazuki said to himself. "Fortress city, angels attacking, maniacal commander, beer guzzling director, and Rei-san." He stopped at the intersection and looked around, trying to decide which direction to go. Finally settled in straight ahead, he crossed the street and continued down the block. "Rei-san. Who is she? Or perhaps a better question might be, what is she?" He pondered this question for a while. "She's probably part human at least. Maybe mostly human but there's something about her that is different, and I don't mean the blue hair and the red eyes either. That's different enough, but something about her personality." The image of the green-haired 14-year old back in his world popped into his head. "Dee-chan." He smiled.

Dee loved him like a big bother and he loved her like a little sister. They had been close during the war with the Rara Army but after the two worlds merged, and Dee became all human, their relationship really began to grow. She changed so much after the merge, but one thing that didn't change was her affection for Kazuki. If anything it just got stronger. She was so bubbly and alive now. Before Kazuki moved out of Tokyo and into the apartment in Saitama with Mitsuki, half the time he and Mitsuki went on a date, it was with Dee in tow. Mitsuki never complained, for she grew to love the young girl almost as much as Kazuki did, and like her boyfriend, began to see her as the younger sister she never had.

His mind's eye gave him a clear image of Dee's smiling face but slowly that image changed from Dee to Rei. "Rei-chan." He came to a stop. "I'll protect you, Rei-chan; from the angels, and from that madman they call a commander. No wonder Misato expected me, or rather Shinji to be all screwed up. With a father like that, who wouldn't be?" He checked his watch then kept walking. "So they want to use me for their war against these… these beings, these creatures. Fine, as long as I get to use them to find a way back home. We'll use each other, and meanwhile I'll keep Rei-chan safe and the commander placated."

"I've got to say. He really surprised me," Misato said into the cordless phone as she slipped a little further into the steamy water.

"How so?" Ritsuko asked on the other end of the line.

"Well, he's so mature and easy going, and he didn't fall for my Janken trick." the purple-haired woman answered.

"Really? He'll have to teach me that one." the blonde said.

"It wasn't anything extraordinary really; he just took the board and marker from me and filled it in logically. What's really something is it made perfect sense."

"Well, what about Rei-chan? She's going to be moving in with you soon too. Did he include her in it?"

"No, I'm guessing he doesn't expect her to do any of the house work while she's still recuperating. We'll probably change it after she's had a chance to heal."

"Don't count on it."

"Why do you say that?"

"Have you ever seen that girl's apartment?"

"No."

"Well, let me just say, it makes yours look clean by comparison."

"Well, I guess there's things we'll all need to learn."

"I guess. So what else was so surprising about Shinji?"

"Just his whole attitude. He's so upbeat and positive. So friendly, and he's got a real sense of humor. He's just, just…"

"Just what?"

"Just, so unlike his father."

"Well, it's not like the commander's been around to rise his son. He probably got a lot of his personality from her guardian."

"I suppose, but I met his guardian once. He didn't exactly exude warmth, if you know what I mean."

"So what are you saying? You'd rather he be a depressed, wallflower."

"No, of course not. I guess, I'm just saying I'm really amazed by his personality. That's all. The way he handled himself with the Eva; that was incredible. I felt bad, making him pilot the Eva like that, but he did it like it was something he was born to do, something he had done dozens, maybe even hundreds of times before."

Ritsuko gave a soft laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing. I agree. He was quite amazing. If he can maintain that sync ratio at all times, he should be able to make the Eva do anything he wants, any time he wants. Shinji out performed Asuka's test results in every measurable category based on my preliminary analysis of the battle."

"That's not going to make Asuka happy when she finds out."

"That's why I'm classifying the results. We don't need her pissed off before she even gets over here."

"Good idea." Glancing up at the wall clock, Misato added. "Well, I got to go. I promised Shinji, I'd tell him what I know about the angels and the evas. I guess I can tell him the truth about Second Impact as well since that's were it all started."

"It all started at First Impact, but starting at Second Impact is probably good enough." Ritsuko countered.

"Whatever. I've got to go."

"See you tomorrow," the blonde replied and hung up the phone on her end.

Setting the phone aside, Misato sat up. "Shinji, you know we're using you, but you don't seem to mind. I know I should be happy that we defeated the angel, but I thought I'd feel bad for using you like a tool. Instead, I don't know how to feel. Are you really so selfless that you're willing to risk your life to protect the rest of the world? If so, you really are a natural born hero."


End file.
